Posts Tagged ‘Raw Juice’

I woke up this morning with a fresh perspective, both literally and figuratively. I want to thank everyone who responded to the “frustrations” I demonstrated in my last post. Your support and words mean more than you know. When life gets hard/confusing it is easy for us to doubt ourselves and the fresh perspective and support of an outsider is beyond helpful; never underestimate the power of words.

I got my day started a bit earlier than usual, determined to refresh my mind. Whenever I am feeling a bit “off” I try to do special little things, a gift to myself if you will. My plan: eat good food, go to yoga, grocery shop, and work hard to accomplish my paper. I started with a wholesome Apple Pie Larabar and a fresh juice. I love Larabars because they only contain REAL food products, are flavorful, hearty and delicious. My juice was a nice addition. I swear, drinking fresh juice has such a clean feel that rejuvenates my energy. A little bit of ginger goes a long way, and dare I say it, wakes me up in way that coffee can’t! Plus, I felt even more amazing drinking it out of my new reusable cold beverage mug! I love this product!

Yoga is my ultimate release. I love running, but there is something about the mind/body connection in yoga that really challenges and relaxes me. No matter how I feel when class begins, I always feel awesome when I leave.

Grocery shopping naturally lifts my spirits. Call me corny, but I LIVE to grocery shop/ go to farmer’s markets. Honestly, I rather shop for food and cooking supplies over clothes any day. I only need a few items (they had golden beets yesterday, and I might have to make a beet salad for dinner!) but I also promised one of my co-workers that I would stop by this afternoon. Yesterday was her grandson’s 3rd birthday, and she has been dying to show me pictures from their family camping trip last summer. I worked with her everyday 6am-2pm during the summer, so we became very close and I heard so much about her amazing family. Family is extremely important to me, so we bonded over that and our mutual passion for cooking. Now that I only see her once a week, it is hard for us to properly catch up.

My thoughts were all over the place last night and my paper writing skills were not exactly 100%. Accomplishing my paper will lift a weight off of my shoulders and make me feel better. Wether it be a paper or a larger goal, when I am successful at completing a task it always makes me feel good!

Game Plan Underway,

Nora

What do you do (if anything) to recuperate after an “off” period of time?

I hope everyone is having an amazing Friday so far! The weather here has taken quite a drastic turn from the once sunny skies and 80 degree temperatures, to a bitter 40 degrees and dark clouds threatening rain. On gloomy days I like to relish in life’s simple pleasures; things that are relaxing and make me happy. I secretly love stormy weather in the Summer time because it gives me an excuse to cuddle up in blankets, make comforting food and watch movies for hours on end.

I feel extremely lucky to have some free time this afternoon to recuperate from a busy week. I even had time to make lunch: Bakery-made Muligrain bread, hummus, spinach, cucumber, mushrooms, sprouts, Roma tomato, and red bell pepper along with a jumbo glass of beet, Fuji Apple, carrot and celery juice. I always take time during the week to make a thoughtful meal in the morning and evening, however; lunch is usually a product from a campus eatery or a soggy sandwich concoction that I made hours before consumption. When I have the time I love making a fresh, and hearty lunch. There is nothing better than toasted bread. When you make sandwiches before hand they just aren’t the same.

This sandwich was MASSIVE and delicious. I honestly do not know why I bother with sandwiches/wraps because I tend to try to stuff way too many ingredients into such a small space. I think that the ultimate topping for this bread is hummus. The 7 grains and 4 seeds produce such a hearty texture and nutty taste; it doesn’t get much better than that!

I am officially obsessed with my Breville juicer. I don’t care what anyone says, I fully intend on juicing my heart out every chance I get. Today I made Beet, Apple, Carrot and Celery Juice. I can’t believe how much juice this produced, almost 16 ounces, and LOTS of foam. I love the foam! Even at Starbucks, I always get the cappuccinos because of the yummy foam on top. (Okay, let’s pause to laugh.) This has such a great flavor but was missing something…ginger. I searched high and low but couldn’t find the small piece I had left :(. Next time I make this combination, I will definitely be adding a small piece of ginger!

I had a piece of Easter chocolate, to round out my carefully prepared lunch and can certainly say that the foods you eat can turn even the worst day upside down!

BEETing the Weather Blues,

Nora

What is the most unusual juice you have tried?

Has anyone tried any new recipes/ingredients lately? (I need some inspiration!)

In high school, my twin brother and I shared a car. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we went to separate schools, and would alternate who got the car from week to week. The weeks when we were car-less, my dad would drive us in. I always found this to be such a special time to catch up with my dad and listen to talk radio. It is even more memorable to me because EVERY morning he would prepare us each a piece of toast and a beverage for the car ride. I would always have peanut butter on whole wheatbread and my dad would have butter on potato bread. He always had the same Lipton tea with lemon and made me a double hot chocolate in the winter and NO PULP orange juice on the nicer days. I have to stress the “NO PULP” part because at the time I hated pulp, however; the rest of my family loved it so the only orange juice we had in the house contained pulp. My dad would take a hand strainer and remove the pulp for me every morning! I will never forget that. (MISS YOU DAD!!)

This morning I decided to do a little “throw back” breakfast, and tribute to my dad. Last night I was working in the bakery, and couldn’t stop thinking about the multigrain bread we carry. I decided to buy a half loaf because I needed a piece with my dinner. I had a few pieces last night and thought it would be the perfect way to start my morning. This bread is so dense and has 5 grains and 4 seeds packed into it. I smothered it with crunchy peanut butter and topped it with banana slices. The banana I used was quite large so I had more peanut butter on the side for extra dipping. It was a fun way to start my day!

I also paid tribute to my dad by making an effort to MAKE juice! I USED MY BREVILLE FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY!!!!!!!!! I was dreaming about it all night, and woke up like a child on Christmas morning anxious to make my juice. I decided to make “Glowing Sunshine”, a suggestion from Angela at Oh She Glows a drink that contains grapefruit, carrots and ginger.It was so easy to use, and I was surprised by how quiet the machine was. Check out the remains! I ended up getting a big glass full, and it was spicy and delicious. The grapefruit was a bit tart but balanced nicely by the carrot. It was a welcomed change from orange juice and extremely refreshing. I feel SO energized and ready to start my day!

New Takes on Old Favorites,

Nora

Do you remember “favorites” growing up that you haven’t had in a while?

I think Sundays are officially going to be my yoga and fresh juice days (except for next week because I will be home with my family for some yummy Easter eats!!). After an afternoon of work, I decided to wind down from my week with a Vinyasa class. The Sunday instructor is SO hard and I was basically DRENCHED in sweat by the end of the class! I was in need of some fresh juice to recover. I wanted the same “Lean ‘n Green” I ordered last week, but they ran out of celery so Beetnik it was. I actually LOVE this drink. The apple, carrot, beet combination is deliciously sweet and earthy; I think I finished it in about a minute flat. I find that there is a noticeable difference in the way I feel when I do and do not have juice post yoga/activities. Drinking raw juice instantly restores my energy levels and my muscles feel less tired and shaky.

After yoga it was POURING rain outside, and I decided to do a little grocery shopping to stock up on some much-needed produce, and some ingredients for the Cooks Mission. To my surprise, they ran out of one of this week’s ingredients: celery root. Who would have guessed that celery root was such a hot item to cook with? I’ll have to find some time and try again tomorrow, because I would be disappointed if I couldn’t participate in such a fun activity. I didmanage to find my favorite Mint Cookies ‘n Cream Fro-Yo, pumpkin and oat bran. Oh yea, you can look forward to some interesting oats this week!

It was nearly 7pm when I got home, and I had oddly been craving runny eggs all day. I can’t even remember the last time I had fried eggs, but hey, you have to feed your body what it wants!! I wilted a bed of spinach and topped it with, sautéed white mushrooms and spanish onion in balsamic, 1 sliced Roma tomato, 2 fried eggs, goat cheese, nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon and hot sauce. On the side I had 1 slice of Ezekiel’s 4:9 Sprouted Grain Breadwith Crofter’s North America Superfruit Spread. I love having breakfast for dinner. It was a simple and cozy meal for a rainy night. For dessert I had a bowl of Mint Cookies and Cream topped with frozen raspberries. I’m not entirely sure where or why I came up with this combination, but it works!

Tomorrow is the start of another busy week. I have a long day of classes, projects and I am attending a very late (Almost 9pm!) dinner with a friend for Passover. I do not celebrate this holiday, but have a lot of interest in cultural/religious traditions, especially when they surround family, community and food. I am so excited that I am able to share this with her and can’t wait for the experience! Hopefully I’ll be able to sneak a few photographs, but no promises since it is a religious ceremony.

NOW FOR SOME BIG BREAKING NEWS! A little less talk, a little more action……..I BOUGHT A JUICER! Hopefully it will be getting here in the next week or so!!! I cant wait to start making some fresh juices of my own! I decided on the Breville Multi-Speed Ikon Juicer. I can already tell I am going to have WAY too much fun with this!

All of the spring-like weather we had last week was a gigantic tease, and it remained in the upper 30’s with cold rain ALL day. After my exams, I needed a little spirit boost (and warmth, I was freezing!) so I decided to go to another Vinyasa class. My experience with raw juice was so positive yesterday that I thought I would try another daring mix, “Beatnik”: Beet, Apple Carrot. I happen to love beets, but know that they are an acquired taste; people either LOVE them or HATE them. I wasn’t sure how the earthy beet would fair in a beverage. The flavor was there, but it wasn’t potent and the carrot and apple gave a sweetness to the drink. It was really good, but I think I liked my “Lean ‘n Green” a little bit more, granted they are extremely different drinks.

I quickly sipped this beauty down and it reminded me of how much I love beets. My dinner was inspired: Roasted Beet and Blood Orange Salad with Grilled Balsamic Tempeh. As I drove home, I dreamed up a Mixed Green Salad with Clover Sprouts, Grilled Balsamic Tempeh, Blood Oranges, Avocado, English Cucumber, Celery, Roasted Beets, Cinnamon/Cumin Roasted Kabocha Squash, Goat Cheese and Toasted Hazelnuts. It is a good thing that the Yoga studio is about 5 minutes from my grocery store, because I have meal ideas galore after these classes! I was a girl with a plan, and picked up lots of produce: Mixed Greens, Clover Sprouts, Avocado, Blood Orange, Celery and BEETS along with Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese to supplement the items I had at home. The flavors were amazing and there was a nice balance of sweet, savory, and spicy. Not to mention the textural elements of the creamy avocado and goat cheese paired with the crunchy celery and hazelnuts. I started with a base of mixed greens (should have used more because the tempeh caused it to “fall”) and topped it with a layer of clover sprouts. I added the grilled tempeh to the center and surrounded it with a layer of blood orange, avocado and English cucumber. I sprinkled the beets, celery, Kabocha, hazelnuts and goat cheese around the plate and VOILA!

Meal Dreams,

Nora

Do you ever dream of “what dish is next” ? If so, what types of dishes do you tend to get creative with?